There are birthdays that go unnoticed and others that end up being part of history.
For Lionel Messi, the most unforgettable came in Qatar 2022when his teammates interrupted the Argentine team’s concentration to sing his 35th birthday without imagining that weeks later he would lift the World Cup.
This June 24, the Argentine captain celebrates 39 years old turned into a legend impossible to pigeonhole.
He is no longer just the world champion who won the trophy he pursued for a lifetime. It is also the top scorer in World Cup history and the leader of an Argentina that dreams of glory again.
That morning in Doha was recorded forever.
The Albiceleste players surprised Messi with a cake, songs and jokes at the rally.
The man from Rosario smiled with his usual shyness while receiving the affection of a group that would end up writing one of the most glorious pages of Argentine football.
Days later, the team advanced to the final and the birthday took on a different meaning. It wasn’t just another celebration. Was the beginning of a journey that ended with Messi lifting the World Cup at the Lusail stadiumthe image that for years seemed reserved only for dreams.
Since then, each anniversary of the Argentine has had a different feel.
The discussions about whether he should win a World Cup disappeared. Comparisons are left behind. The story was already written.
However, Messi never stopped competing. Not surprising either. Twenty years after scoring his first World Cup goalarrived at the 2026 World Cup ready to challenge the passage of time again.
Messi is the scoring leader
The response was immediate. A triple against Algeria and a double against Austria They pushed him to the 18 goals in World Cupsa figure that allowed him to become the all-time top scorer of the tournament.
While Argentina has already secured its qualification for the next round, the captain continues to accumulate records as if the calendar did not exist.
At 39 years old, he continues to be the footballer who makes a difference, the one who resolves matches and the one who keeps the dreams of millions alive.
Far from Rosario, far from the family birthdays that he once missed during the concentrations, Messi celebrates again surrounded by teammates, affection and admirers.
The difference is that now it does from a place reserved for very few.
Because that young man who had his birthday at a rally in Qatar received weeks later the greatest gift of all.
And since then, each new anniversary seems a celebration of his own football immortality.
Messi’s World Cup story began in Germany 2006when a young man of just 18 years old scored against Serbia and Montenegro and announced his arrival on the big stage. Then came the disappointments: elimination in South Africa 2010, the painful final loss in Brazil 2014 and the farewell in the round of 16 in Russia 2018.
Far from giving up, the Argentine captain found his reward in Qatar 2022. There he led the Albiceleste until the most anticipated titleraised the World Cup that resisted him for years and completed one of the most extraordinary careers in football history.